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Jabeen M, Shoukat S, Shireen H, Bao Y, Khan A, Abbasi AA. Unraveling the genetic variations underlying virulence disparities among SARS-CoV-2 strains across global regions: insights from Pakistan. Virol J 2024; 21:55. [PMID: 38449001 PMCID: PMC10916261 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02328-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, several SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged that may exhibit different etiological effects such as enhanced transmissibility and infectivity. However, genetic variations that reduce virulence and deteriorate viral fitness have not yet been thoroughly investigated. The present study sought to evaluate the effects of viral genetic makeup on COVID-19 epidemiology in Pakistan, where the infectivity and mortality rate was comparatively lower than other countries during the first pandemic wave. For this purpose, we focused on the comparative analyses of 7096 amino-acid long polyprotein pp1ab. Comparative sequence analysis of 203 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, sampled from Pakistan during the first wave of the pandemic revealed 179 amino acid substitutions in pp1ab. Within this set, 38 substitutions were identified within the Nsp3 region of the pp1ab polyprotein. Structural and biophysical analysis of proteins revealed that amino acid variations within Nsp3's macrodomains induced conformational changes and modified protein-ligand interactions, consequently diminishing the virulence and fitness of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, the epistatic effects resulting from evolutionary substitutions in SARS-CoV-2 proteins may have unnoticed implications for reducing disease burden. In light of these findings, further characterization of such deleterious SARS-CoV-2 mutations will not only aid in identifying potential therapeutic targets but will also provide a roadmap for maintaining vigilance against the genetic variability of diverse SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating globally. Furthermore, these insights empower us to more effectively manage and respond to potential viral-based pandemic outbreaks of a similar nature in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momina Jabeen
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Program of Comparative and Evolutionary Genomics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, 45320, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Shifa Shoukat
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Program of Comparative and Evolutionary Genomics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, 45320, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Huma Shireen
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Program of Comparative and Evolutionary Genomics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, 45320, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Yiming Bao
- National Genomics Data Center & CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China National Center for Bioinformation, 100101, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Abbas Khan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai, China
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City, Malaysia
| | - Amir Ali Abbasi
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Program of Comparative and Evolutionary Genomics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, 45320, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Shurko JF, Page RB, Mares CA, Nguyen V, Lopez K, Vanee N, Mishra PK. Use of RT-PCR in conjunction with a respiratory pathogen assay to concurrently determine the prevalence of bacteria and SARS-CoV-2 from the nasopharynx of outpatients. FRONTIERS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY 2023; 3:1274800. [PMID: 38455907 PMCID: PMC10910948 DOI: 10.3389/fepid.2023.1274800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Introduction COVID-19 has emerged as a highly contagious and debilitating disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and has claimed the lives of over 7.7 million people worldwide. Bacterial co-infections are one of many co-morbidities that have been suggested to impact the outcome of COVID-19 in patients. The goals of this study are to elucidate the presence of bacteria in the nasopharynx of SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients and to describe demographic categories that may be associated with the detection of these organisms during one of the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods To this end, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial co-detection from outpatient RT-PCR testing in Texas. Results The results indicate that Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae were the most frequently detected bacteria in both SARS-CoV-2 positive and SARS-CoV-2 negative patients and that these bacteria were present in these two patient populations at similar proportions. We also detected Staphylococcus aureus in a significantly larger proportion of males relative to females and people under 65 years of age relative to those 65 and over. Finally, we observed that SARS-CoV-2 was more commonly detected in Hispanics compared to non-Hispanics; however, low disclosure rates make volunteer bias a concern when interpreting the effects of demographic variables. Discussion This study describes the bacteria present in the nasopharynx of SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients, highlights associations between patient demographics and SARS-CoV-2 as well as bacterial co-detection. In addition, this study highlights RT-PCR based molecular testing as a tool to detect bacteria simultaneously when SARS-CoV-2 tests are performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F. Shurko
- Molecular Diagnostics Division, iGenomeDx, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Robert B. Page
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Lousiana Scholars’ College, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA, United States
| | - Chris A. Mares
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Vivian Nguyen
- Molecular Diagnostics Division, iGenomeDx, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Kristina Lopez
- Molecular Diagnostics Division, iGenomeDx, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Niti Vanee
- Molecular Diagnostics Division, iGenomeDx, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Pramod K. Mishra
- Molecular Diagnostics Division, iGenomeDx, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Rahman MS, Hoque MN, Chowdhury SR, Siddique MM, Islam OK, Galib SM, Islam MT, Hossain MA. Temporal dynamics and fatality of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Bangladesh. Health Sci Rep 2023; 6:e1209. [PMID: 37077184 PMCID: PMC10108430 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, multiple new variants have emerged posing an increased risk to global public health. This study aimed to investigate SARS-CoV-2 variants, their temporal dynamics, infection rate (IFR) and case fatality rate (CFR) in Bangladesh by analyzing the published genomes. Methods We retrieved 6610 complete whole genome sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 from the GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing all Influenza Data) platform from March 2020 to October 2022, and performed different in-silico bioinformatics analyses. The clade and Pango lineages were assigned by using Nextclade v2.8.1. SARS-CoV-2 infections and fatality data were collected from the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh. The average IFR was calculated from the monthly COVID-19 cases and population size while average CFR was calculated from the number of monthly deaths and number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Results SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Bangladesh on March 3, 2020 and created three pandemic waves so far. The phylogenetic analysis revealed multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 variant(s) into Bangladesh with at least 22 Nextstrain clades and 107 Pangolin lineages with respect to the SARS-CoV-2 reference genome of Wuhan/Hu-1/2019. The Delta variant was detected as the most predominant (48.06%) variant followed by Omicron (27.88%), Beta (7.65%), Alpha (1.56%), Eta (0.33%) and Gamma (0.03%) variant. The overall IFR and CFR from circulating variants were 13.59% and 1.45%, respectively. A time-dependent monthly analysis showed significant variations in the IFR (p = 0.012, Kruskal-Wallis test) and CFR (p = 0.032, Kruskal-Wallis test) throughout the study period. We found the highest IFR (14.35%) in 2020 while Delta (20A) and Beta (20H) variants were circulating in Bangladesh. Remarkably, the highest CFR (1.91%) from SARS-CoV-2 variants was recorded in 2021. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of genomic surveillance for careful monitoring of variants of concern emergence to interpret correctly their relative IFR and CFR, and thus, for implementation of strengthened public health and social measures to control the spread of the virus. Furthermore, the results of the present study may provide important context for sequence-based inference in SARS-CoV-2 variant(s) evolution and clinical epidemiology beyond Bangladesh.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Shaminur Rahman
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - M. Nazmul Hoque
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive HealthBangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural UniversityGazipurBangladesh
| | - Susmita Roy Chowdhury
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Md. Moradul Siddique
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Ovinu Kibria Islam
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Syed Md. Galib
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Md. Tanvir Islam
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - M. Anwar Hossain
- Department of MicrobiologyUniversity of DhakaDhakaBangladesh
- Jashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
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Sharma E, Revinipati S, Bhandari S, Thakur S, Goyal S, Ghose A, Bajpai S, Muhammad W, Boussios S. Efficacy and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines-An Update. Diseases 2022; 10:112. [PMID: 36547198 PMCID: PMC9777372 DOI: 10.3390/diseases10040112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A few centuries ago, the first vaccine vial was formulated, and since then, they have resulted in an eminent reduction in infectious diseases associated morbidity and mortality. The discovery of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease and its steady progression to a global pandemic with 603,711,760 confirmed cases and 6,484,136 reported deaths according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 7 September 2022 was exceedingly catastrophic. This brought about an unexpected need for preventative and cost-effective measures to curb the devastating impact of the virus, followed by accelerated competition within the pharma giants to manufacture and dispense vaccines at an exponential rate. Non-pharmaceutical medications such as mandated face mask policies, the imposition of travel limitations and generalized disinfectant use were somewhat successful in mitigating the catastrophic effect, but the onus fell upon vaccination strategies and other medical interventions to counteract and subdue this international health threat. The need to ensure current and future pandemic preparedness, however, presents multiple hurdles, among which are equitable vaccine access and the rising trend of vaccine hesitancy at an individual and international level, which are beyond the scope of this discussion. With this review article, we seek to draw perspective on current COVID-19 virus variants, in-hand vaccine types with their mechanism of action along with their effectiveness and safety profile. We also aim to discuss substantial side effects while adding a segment on the booster dose controversy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eshani Sharma
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore 575001, India
| | | | - Saisha Bhandari
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore 575001, India
- Department of Internal Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
| | - Sejal Thakur
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore 575001, India
| | - Shubham Goyal
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal 576104, India
| | - Aruni Ghose
- Department of Internal Medicine, Newham University Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London E13 8SL, UK
- Department of Medical Oncology, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Windmill Road, Gillingham ME7 5NY, UK
| | - Sukrit Bajpai
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
| | - Waleed Muhammad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Newham University Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London E13 8SL, UK
| | - Stergios Boussios
- Department of Medical Oncology, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Windmill Road, Gillingham ME7 5NY, UK
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
- AELIA Organization, 9th KM Thessaloniki—Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
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SARS-CoV-2: Evolution and Emergence of New Viral Variants. Viruses 2022; 14:v14040653. [PMID: 35458383 PMCID: PMC9025907 DOI: 10.3390/v14040653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The high rate of mutation of this virus is associated with a quick emergence of new viral variants that have been rapidly spreading worldwide. Several mutations have been documented in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein that increases the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and its cellular receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Mutations in the spike can increase the viral spread rate, disease severity, and the ability of the virus to evade either the immune protective responses, monoclonal antibody treatments, or the efficacy of current licensed vaccines. This review aimed to highlight the functional virus classification used by the World Health Organization (WHO), Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak (PANGO), Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), and Nextstrain, an open-source project to harness the scientific and public health potential of pathogen genome data, the chronological emergence of viral variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs), the major findings related to the rate of spread, and the mutations in the spike protein that are involved in the evasion of the host immune responses elicited by prior SARS-CoV-2 infections and by the protection induced by vaccination.
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